Shirley+Hollis

Shirley Hollis, a 30-year-old mother of two, had an abortion performed by Bruce Lucero on February 22, 1991. Shortly after she went home, she was short of breath, had pain in her arms, and was vomiting. Her boyfriend called the clinic and was told to bring her to the emergency room. Shirley wanted to wait, thinking the symptoms were related to the abortion and would go away on their own. Shortly afterward, Shirley had a heart attack, and her boyfriend called 911 and started CPR.

The ambulance took Shirley to the hospital, where she died.

The autopsy found that Shirley had severe coronary artery disease, which had never been diagnosed. Shirley's mother faulted Lucero with Shirley's death because he failed to detect her heart problem when he examined her at the abortion facility.

Although the abortion did not directly cause Shirley's death, I originally listed her as an abortion death because her belief that the abortion was causing her symptoms led her to delay seeking appropriate medical care. However, on reflection, I need to take into account that one of the symptoms of a heart attack is that the person insists that there is nothing wrong and will blame the pain on any handy other explanation.

I've concluded that the abortion was coincidence.

Source: Alabama Certificate of Death, State # 101; Jefferson County Coroner’s Report # 91-284; Life Dynamics "Blackmun Wall"

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